Driving for Work: The Hidden Risk That's Finally Getting a Spotlight

Here's a question that catches almost everyone out: what's the most dangerous activity most workers will undertake on any given day? It's not working at height. It's not handling chemicals. It's not even operating heavy machinery. For a huge proportion of the UK workforce, the answer is simply getting in a car or van and driving.

What Counts as 'Driving for Work'?

Driving for work covers any journey made by a worker as part of their work activity. It includes company cars, vans, HGVs, motorcycles, e-bikes and bicycles. Crucially, it also includes 'grey fleet' a privately owned vehicle used by an employee for business purposes. Examples include a sales rep visiting clients in their own car, a community nurse driving between visits, or a manager travelling between sites.

Normal commuting between home and a fixed place of work is generally not classified as driving for work. However, journeys that start from home to a non-permanent work location often are.

The UK Road Safety Strategy 2026: What's Changed?

In January 2026, the Department for Transport published the country's first comprehensive Road Safety Strategy in over a decade. The headline ambition is a 65% reduction in road deaths and serious injuries across Great Britain. Crucially for the H&S world, the Strategy confirms that employers must ensure anyone driving or riding for work is as safe as reasonably possible on the roads — and it pilots a new National Work-Related Road Safety Charter aimed squarely at employers.

Why Driving Is Your Highest-Risk Workplace Activity: Key Statistics

Key Statistics at a Glance

•       Up to one third of all road traffic fatalities in Great Britain involve somebody who is at work at the time (HSE / Department for Transport).

•       Approximately 200 deaths or serious injuries occur every week involving someone using the road for work (HSE).

•       Company car drivers are around 49% more likely to be involved in collisions than the general driving population, even after correcting for higher mileage (HSE).

•       An estimated 40,000 workers in sales, delivery and taxi-driving roles are involved in road traffic collisions every year in the UK.

•       The new UK Road Safety Strategy 2026 targets a 65% reduction in road deaths and serious injuries.

Employer Duties Under UK Health and Safety Law

Despite the scale of the problem, work-related road risk is often massively under-managed. Incidents happen on public roads rather than on sites, so they're out of sight and out of mind. Many employers wrongly assume the legal duties only apply to professional drivers like HGV operators. They don't.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) applies to work activities on the road in exactly the same way as it does on a fixed site. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) require employers to assess all significant risks including driving. The HSE's INDG382 leaflet, 'Driving and riding safely for work', remains the practical starting point and sets out three areas to assess: the driver, the vehicle, and the journey.

The Grey Fleet Trap Every Employer Should Know About

Grey fleet is a particular blind spot. Because the vehicle is privately owned, many employers wrongly assume the duty sits entirely with the driver. It doesn't. As an employer, you still need to be satisfied that the driver is licensed and medically fit to drive, the vehicle is roadworthy and insured for business use, and the journey itself has been sensibly planned with fatigue and time pressure in mind.

Corporate Manslaughter and Work-Related Road Deaths

When things go badly wrong, the consequences can be severe. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 has been used successfully in fatigue-related work-driving deaths cases where drivers had been worked beyond reasonable limits and fell asleep at the wheel, killing themselves or other road users. The defence that 'it was the driver's fault' rarely succeeds where systemic management failures contributed to the outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is occupational road risk?

A. Occupational road risk (also called work-related road risk) is the risk of injury, ill health or death arising from any driving or riding activity carried out as part of work. It covers company vehicles, grey fleet, HGVs, motorcycles, e-bikes and bicycles.

Q. Do I need a driving for work policy?

A. If any of your employees drive for work including in their own vehicles yes, this can be included as part of your health and safety policy. A documented policy supports compliance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and is one of the first things the HSE or a court will ask for after a serious incident.

Q. Does the law apply to employees using their own car for work?

A. Yes. Grey fleet drivers are covered by the same employer duties as those using company vehicles. The employer must ensure the driver is fit and licensed, the vehicle is roadworthy and insured for business use, and the journey has been planned safely.

Q. What is the UK Road Safety Strategy 2026?

A. The UK Road Safety Strategy 2026, published by the Department for Transport in January 2026, is the first comprehensive national road safety strategy in over a decade. It targets a 65% reduction in road deaths and serious injuries, and pilots a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter aimed at employers.